Mummies

Egyptians thought that people had to be mummified to live forever. They thought that after the person was dead their soul became different things like Ba, a bird. Egyptians saw heaven as paradise.They called heaven the Field of Reeds where people grew crops. They thought the crops grew a foot taller in heaven.

Mummification is preserving the body so it won't rot away. It is also called embalming. After the person was dead the embalmer would take out the internal organs; intestines, lungs, stomach and liver. They were all put in four different canopic jars. After that they they washed the body and dried it out with natron [salt]. They covered the body with oils and resins. Then finally they wrapped the corpse tightly in linen bandages many times. The whole procedure took about 70 days.

The mummies were put in coffins that were wooden or plaster. Some of the pharaohs were laid to rest in golden coffins.Tutankhamun's golden coffin weighed over 200 pounds. Egyptians painted wonderful pictures on the sarcophagus. The mummies were buried with a book of magic spells to help them through the underworld. The important people, like the pharaohs, were buried in tombs. Egyptians put things in the pharaohs' tombs that would help them in the after life. They put things in there like spears and shields to hunt, a couch to be comfortable, jewels to be rich, lots of fancy clothes, chariots and food . Mummies are an interesting piece of history.